Just then—
The tavern doors slammed open with a loud bang.
"Oh my God! Something terrible has happened!"
The drunken pirate Krika stumbled inside, clutching two wanted posters, his face pale with terror.
"The explosion at the pub earlier today—it wasn't an accident! It was them! Two pirates, each worth over one hundred million Berries, taking revenge on us!"
For a moment, the tavern fell into heavy silence.
Then curses and laughter erupted.
"Damn it, what are you yelling for! You're ruining the mood!"
"You've drunk yourself stupid again. Pirates worth over a hundred million Berries here? Stop dreaming."
"Hahaha! Krika, keep drinking like that and the booze will kill you before any monster does!"
Krika scanned the faces around him, angry and desperate.
"You idiots! You still don't get it—we're in serious trouble! Those of you who were at that blasted pub earlier, hurry and run while you can!"
His panicked eyes landed on Bellamy, who sat drinking sullenly.
"Bellamy! Why are you still here?! You're the most dangerous one of all. It's too late to run now—you're as good as dead!"
Bellamy's glass shattered in his hand. He stood, looming over the trembling drunkard with a furious scowl.
"I'm dead, you say?!" His voice was low and threatening.
Normally, Bellamy's presence was enough to silence anyone. But in Krika's eyes, Bellamy's fifty-five million Berries bounty was meaningless compared to the nightmares on those posters.
"Bellamy, do you even know what kind of monsters you've provoked?!"
Krika waved the wanted posters frantically, his whole body shaking with fear.
"When those two come for you, you'll be the first one they kill!"
Bellamy froze mid-step.
"Two monsters? What the hell are you babbling about?"
The rest of the tavern finally began to realize something wasn't right.
"Krika! What exactly did you see? Explain yourself!"
With trembling hands, Krika turned the posters around for all to see.
"Earlier today, we offended a pirate crew with two members worth over one hundred million Berries each!"
The tavern fell into a stunned hush as everyone stared at the faces on the paper.
"Straw Hat Luffy... bounty, one hundred million Berries?"
"It says he defeated a Shichibukai—Crocodile himself!"
"And this one..." a pirate's voice cracked, "The Plunderer Shirogai Yamikuro... bounty two hundred million Berries?!"
The tavern was so silent you could hear the glasses tremble in nervous hands.
Bellamy stared at Shirogai's weary but confident smile on the poster. Images of himself, kneeling in humiliation, flashed through his mind. His body shivered uncontrollably.
"I... I think I've met him before," he muttered, fear creeping into his voice.
A pirate's hand shook so badly that his glass slipped from his fingers.
Crack!
The sound of shattering glass snapped the room.
"Ah!"
Gasps and frantic whispers exploded through the tavern.
"Oh my God! Two monsters worth over a hundred million each!"
"They really came to Mock Town?!"
Sweat poured down every pirate's face as panic swept the room.
"What have we done today?"
"We mocked them... Bellamy's crew even beat them!"
"I've never even seen pirates with bounties like these!"
"They could be hiding their strength, waiting to kill us all!"
"Shut up! Don't say that—if they're here, stepping outside is suicide!"
Someone swallowed hard. "That Straw Hat brat... didn't he say Shirogai went off to fight an Admiral? We thought it was a joke!"
Faces went pale.
"Wait... if he can fight an Admiral, then... we're dead!"
"Run! We can't stay in Mock Town anymore!"
"Bellamy!"
Members of his crew turned to him, pale with dread.
"Could it be... they were taking revenge earlier?"
The thought struck every one of them. Ten crewmates killed in silence. No trace left behind. Only monsters of that level could do something so terrifying.
Sarquiss looked at his captain, fear clear in his eyes.
"Bellamy... what do we do?"
"Pfft... ah hahahaha!"
Bellamy forced a disdainful laugh, waving his hand as if the posters meant nothing.
"What are you panicking for? Do you all have no brains? Scared by pieces of paper?"
The crew hesitated, unsure.
"We met Straw Hat earlier, didn't we?" Bellamy sneered. "He was weak enough for us to beat down easily. And now, what a coincidence, these wanted posters suddenly appear the same night?"
The pirates exchanged uncertain glances.
"You fools! Can't you see? These are fake!" Bellamy barked.
"If they can forge one bounty, they can forge two, three, as many as they want! Their little trick is obvious. They want to scare us, and tomorrow they'll show up again waving these fake posters like they mean something."
He took a long swig of wine, laughing coldly.
"This is a cheap trick, one used by small-time pirates long ago. And you all actually fell for it? Pathetic. A bunch of brainless fools!"
"...Bellamy has a point."
Relief spread through the tavern. Though many still doubted, his words were enough to calm them—for now.